Volume One: Beacon Fires at the Frontier Chapter Eighty-Three: Cui Bao'er

Baoer was born with the single character Bao in her name, but because she was so dearly loved by her elders, an affectionate diminutive was added to make her Baoer. Coming from a noble clan, she had been broadening her horizons since childhood and was never shy with strangers; now she flapped her little arms and demanded to be held by He Yu. The moment He Yu saw her, he felt an immediate fondness for the child, and so he bent down and lifted her up.

In a babyish, sing-song voice, Baoer said, “Oh, now Baoer has another elder brother. I am so happy. Mother said my brother came from the southern rivers and lakes, and Baoer wants to go there too. Will brother take me?”

He Yu chuckled and teased her. “That would be fine, only I fear little Baoer would not be able to part from her father and mother.”

Baoer tilted her head in thought, then clapped her hands. “Then let my father and mother go too.”

At once she frowned, crestfallen. “Father is so busy. He definitely won’t go with Baoer. Mother always listens to Father, so if Father does not go, Mother naturally cannot go either.” Her expression was full of childish regret.

Qingyun laughed and said, “Don’t be afraid, little Baoer. If your father and mother cannot go with you, I will accompany you to the southern rivers and lakes.”

“Oh, wonderful, wonderful!”

Baoer wriggled free of He Yu’s arms and stretched out hers toward Qingyun for another hug.

Qingyun took Baoer from He Yu and, with a smile, slipped off a jade bracelet from her wrist and put it on the child. “This is a bracelet from your elder sister-in-law to you, Baoer. Do you like it?”

Baoer’s arms were as soft and plump as lotus roots, their fair tenderness making the green jade bracelet all the more clear and luminous. She touched it with her hand and smiled. “Baoer likes it. Thank you, sister-in-law.”

Cui Liang invited He Yu and his wife into the inner rooms to meet the family, clearly regarding them as close and honored guests. He Yu had not expected that Cui Liang, even while away at war, would have brought his precious daughter along, and now that he had met her, he found himself so naturally taken with her. Even had He Yu been poor in the ways of the world, he would have known by now that he ought to offer a gift on first acquaintance. Yet since he had come unprepared, he was at something of a loss. Of course, such a gift could be made up afterward, but it would never feel as warm and intimate as presenting it in person.

Fortunately, Qingyun thought of this and removed her jade bracelet for Baoer. Chenjiawu was a place of wealth and abundance, and the things Qingyun had worn since childhood were naturally of no small value. Madam Lu, herself well acquainted with the world, was also greatly pleased at the sight: “He Yu is a fine young man, and Qingyun is generous indeed, not at all petty or narrow as small households tend to be.”

Baoer had grown up in the women’s quarters and was not often allowed to see strangers, so she clung to He Yu and Qingyun and would not let go. He Yu and Qingyun were very fond of her as well, and the three of them played together for a good long while.

Cui Liang felt embarrassed and deliberately put on a stern face. “Baoer, be good and go back with your mother to the room to sleep. Elder Brother Yu Zhi and Elder Sister-in-law Qingyun still have matters to attend to.”

Waaah—

Waaah—

Being scolded, Baoer pouted and burst into tears, crying so miserably that Cui Liang was at a complete loss.

He Yu crouched down and comforted her. “Don’t cry, little Baoer. It is late today, and your brother must go now. Tomorrow morning, I will have your sister-in-law come fetch you to play for the whole day, all right?”

At this, Baoer immediately broke into tears and laughter. “Brother must not lie to Baoer. If you lie to me, then I shall no longer call you my brother.”

Children speak with no restraint, and it was all delightfully amusing, drawing laughter from everyone.

Baoer followed her nurse back to the inner chamber. He Yu and Qingyun then took their leave.

Cui Liang and Madam Lu saw them out to the gate with exemplary courtesy. Watching their carriage disappear into the dusk, Madam Lu said, “Husband, that He Yu and his wife are truly a handsome and talented pair, like dragons and phoenixes among men.”

Cui Liang replied, “What you say is true.” He then related in full and in detail all that had happened to He Yu, including the events at the banquet.

Madam Lu listened with fascination. “A rare genius, a rare genius! In my view, he is no less remarkable than Wang Jinglue. It is a pity he is already married, or else...” Madam Lu had a niece on her side of the family who was both lovely in face and conduct; if He Yu had not yet taken a wife, she might well have served as a go-between and arranged a fine match.

When He Yu and Qingyun returned home, they were still not fully recovered from the excitement of what had just passed. Qingyun asked in detail how he had come to befriend Cui Liang, and He Yu recounted everything that had happened at the banquet. Qingyun’s face was full of admiration as she said happily, “Husband’s talent truly leaves one far behind. Cui Liang was right: ‘gifted in both letters and arms, a genius of extraordinary height.’ Those eight characters are the most fitting evaluation for you.”

He Yu teased her on purpose. “Wife, you praise me too much. Just because someone says such things, how can you believe them so readily? You must know there are many capable people in this world.”

Qingyun only smiled and shook her head, refusing to believe it. Her ideas and convictions were gradually tending toward a kind of blind devotion to her husband, much like the maid Lantern had once shown: a complete loss of self, with absolute faith in the man she loved.

Early the next morning, Qingyun kept her promise and personally went to bring Baoer to their residence to play, with Madam Lu accompanying her. Cui Liang had to deal with household affairs and could not come. He Yu’s home was much smaller than the Cui mansion, and there were far fewer servants, so the place was especially quiet.

Madam Lu was usually surrounded by maids and old women, their chatter never ceasing; to be able to enjoy such a moment of silence was quite restful. He Yu and Qingyun greeted Madam Lu with the courtesy due to an elder sister-in-law, then led her inside, where Qingyun kept her company in conversation.

Baoer liked clinging to He Yu and followed him wherever he went. Madam Lu knew that He Yu had important responsibilities and scolded her more than once, but it did no good.

Mourong Lin had suffered a great setback two days earlier, and during these few days he had been busy trying to find Linghu Xiao’s cavalry for a decisive battle. Thus his camp had fallen quiet, with no sign of any large-scale assault. Since the Yan army was not attacking, the Wei army naturally welcomed the respite. Time, after all, was on the side of Pingcheng, and they could afford to wait. With all being calm and still, there was not too much military business to handle. Once He Yu had finished his duties, he took Baoer to the small kitchen and instructed the cooks in preparing several modern dishes, which they served at noon to entertain Madam Lu.

He Yu’s little kitchen naturally could not compare with the Cui household’s, and Madam Lu was used to all manner of fine delicacies, so she had not expected much. Yet after tasting the food, she found the flavor far surpassed what she ate at home. Even Baoer, who was usually the pickiest at the table, ate with great relish. Surprised, Madam Lu asked, “Sister Qingyun, who is in charge of the cooking in your household? The flavors here are truly unforgettable.”

Qingyun laughed and said, “This is He Lang’s southern style. So long as sister-in-law likes it, that is all that matters.”

Madam Lu laughed as well and took Qingyun’s hand. “Sister, you truly have eyes like lightning. Where did you find this He Yu? He can do everything, and understands everything. As women, what do we seek our whole lives, if not a man of ability? I married Cui Liang and felt thoroughly content, never imagining there could be a person like He Yu in this world.”

In those days, ritual propriety was strict, and brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law did not dine at the same table. Though He Yu was broad-minded, Madam Lu came from a distinguished family and was also meeting him for the first time, so she did not eat with them today.

Seeing Madam Lu praise her husband so lavishly, Qingyun was even more delighted, and could not help thinking with emotion, “Eyes like lightning is not wrong at all, though the process was hardly smooth—it was full of twists and turns.”

Madam Lu did not know the reason behind it and only sighed at Qingyun’s fortunate fate. Qingyun was adept at social graces, and the two of them were both young ladies from noble families, with much in common. As they chatted, they were not aware that dusk had already fallen. After supper, Madam Lu took Baoer and returned home.

Today was unlike yesterday. Yesterday there had been many people and too many ears; one had to exchange the proper formalities. Today was more like a private gathering, where conversation could be relaxed and unguarded, making it the best way to draw close and deepen affection. By the time Madam Lu departed, she already regarded Qingyun as a sister.

Most amusing of all was Baoer. She had long since grown tired of the food at home and was quite picky, but after suddenly tasting the modern Huaiyang-style dishes at He Yu’s house, she could not forget them. Whenever mealtime came, she would make a fuss and insist on coming over to mooch a meal. Cui Liang and Madam Lu both felt this was improper and beneath the dignity of a noble household, but since Baoer was still so young and they both doted on their daughter, they could only indulge her whims. Fortunately, He Yu and Qingyun both adored Baoer, and during this period there were no major matters at hand, so they took Baoer into their home to eat and play together, creating a rare warmth of domestic happiness. Cui Liang and Madam Lu knew He Yu to be careful and prudent, so they merely sent a nursemaid to accompany her and let their daughter eat at He Yu’s house for several days without worry. Madam Lu was thoughtful enough to plan that once affairs in Pingcheng were settled, she would send one of the household cooks to He Yu’s place to learn the southern methods of cooking.

News continued to arrive over the next few days: in order to find Linghu Xiao’s cavalry and force a decisive battle, Mourong Lin had gone to great lengths, turning over the land for dozens of miles in every direction, only to find not even a trace of them. Mourong Lin convened a war council, and the conclusion was that the two cavalry forces had likely withdrawn to the city once they had gained the upper hand, or, if not, had already ridden far away. In either case, they were no longer a serious obstacle to the assault on the city.

The Yan army was encamped outside the walls, and during the day the heat was oppressive; the blazing sun was like fire. Worse still, their provisions were being consumed at a tremendous rate, while the surrounding land had been turned to scorched earth, leaving nothing behind. Even water had become a problem. If matters continued this way, not to mention taking Pingcheng, it would be difficult to endure even another month.

Thus Mourong Lin had no choice but to make up his mind and prepare to launch a desperate strike in the near future. With his present military strength, this would be his final blow. Given the tremendous effect that death warriors climbing the walls had shown in previous assaults, he had a small clever idea and hastily armed nearly fifty such men. These wall-climbing death warriors were all the elite of the army; though they could not compare to those who had once taken a hundred heads, their armor and equipment were identical, their fighting strength formidable, and they were intermingled with the more than twenty truly authentic wall-climbing death warriors that remained, all scaling the walls together so that the defenders could not tell the true from the false.

In truth, he now somewhat regretted that he had not adopted the strategy of burning one’s boats and fighting with all one’s strength from the outset. If he had committed all the wall-climbing death warriors at once, he would probably have already taken the city. His gravest mistake had been dividing his most elite wall-climbing death warriors into three waves, causing heavy casualties, failure at the last moment, and the loss of the element of surprise, which had allowed the enemy to prepare.

This time, then, Mourong Lin had learned his lesson. He would commit all the wall-climbing death warriors at once, without dividing them into main and secondary assault directions, attacking from all four sides. The one who first reached the battlements would be rewarded with a marquisate of ten thousand households.

At the war council, when Mourong Shao and the others heard Mourong Lin’s analysis, they all felt the plan was feasible and beyond reproach.

One of the subordinate commanders even suggested, “The previous assault was carried out in daylight. It had both advantages and disadvantages, but on the whole the disadvantages outweighed the benefits. This time it would be best to choose a different hour and keep the operation strictly secret, so as to achieve surprise and strike before the enemy can prepare.”

Mourong Shao thought it over and said, “I believe the best time for the general assault would be the ugly hour after the second watch of the night. That is when the enemy is most fatigued and their defenses are most likely to loosen.” He even cited an example: last year, when He Yu of Chenjiawu broke through Tianxiong Fortress by night, he had chosen precisely that time.

With this analysis, no one raised any objection. So Mourong Lin made the decision on the spot: over the next ten days, they would remain in full readiness for a fatal blow against Pingcheng. Their present task was to press ahead with training the soldiers and make all preparations for the general assault.